Subtle ways to tell you
by Mangusti
Summary: Denmark was more open, more direct. He always said what was on his mind. He wasn't scared of publicly showing his affection. He was telling Norway about how much he loved the other every time he could. Norway saved the words for important moments.


Norway didn't like showing others how emotional he could be. Some had called him heartless, some just cold. That wasn't true. He merely didn't like talking about himself. He liked the mysterious aura he had. How others sometimes feared talking to him. There wasn't any point to that, really. But it was nice having this space around him. He could take a break and focus only on his own thoughts. He didn't like crowds. New people honestly scared him. He always tried not to show that. Not show how shy he actually was. Not show his weaknesses.

Denmark, of course, had seen him cry and be angry. He had seen him just screaming at everything, totally losing his temper. It was never directed at the people he loved. Never them.

Norway and Denmark had now lived years apart in their own lands. It was required. Even if they visited each other so often they almost lived together. Others didn't have to know that, though. Norway liked being private.

Denmark was more open, more direct. He always said what was on his mind. He wasn't scared of publicly showing his affection. He was telling Norway about how much he loved the other every time he could.

Norway saved the words for important moments. He trusted actions more than words. Words could be just a cover that hides behind it all the malice and venom the speaker doesn't want to show. Words could be pretty, sugar-coated and run like honey. Lying. He was good at that. He tried not to do that anymore. So he saved the words for the right time. Then they had meaning. Then he really meant what he said.

Denmark thought all the time was the right time. That's how they were different. He always meant what he said.

Norway showed how much he cared. It wasn't hand-holding or even kissing, just normal things. Like reminding the other he still thought about him throughout the day.

Denmark was visiting Norway because he had a day off so he stayed at his apartment. Unfortunately, Norway had been called to work urgently. Norway had left a post-it note on the kitchen table telling him about it and how there was some food from yesterday in the fridge. Denmark had smiled at the drawn heart at the bottom of the note. He was eating lunch when his phone informed him he had a new message.

 _From: Norge_

 _This might take longer than I originally thought. I'll come before seven. You can eat without me if you want. I'm really sorry about this._

Denmark sent a quick reply telling him it was fine, that he didn't mind, and how he missed the man. They still had the evening and night for just the two of them.

What he was going to do without Norway there, was the problem.

He was going to make dinner later in the day for the two of them. He was definitely not going to eat without Norway.

After watching TV, reading a book and playing a mobile game, Denmark started looking for the ingredients for making pizza in the kitchen.

He went to watch the TV again after he had put the pizza in the oven.

It was already dark outside, the street lights being the only light source.

"I'm home!" Norway announced from the hallway. He shut the door behind him and dropped the keys into a bowl. He heard noises from the living room, then loud steps and finally Denmark appeared in tank top and sweatpants.

"The food's almost ready. I was just waiting for you," he said and pointed a finger over his shoulder at the kitchen.

"Good," the other responded, even smiled a little bit. "Oh, I forgot." Norway started rummaging his messenger bag, clearly trying to find something. It didn't take him long until he pulled out a DVD case. "I bought a new movie. Wanna cuddle?" he asked, smirking.

"Hell yeah!"

"Glad to hear that."

"I made pizza. We can eat it while watching the movie," the Dane said and grabbed the oven mitts.

"Pizza? Really?"

"Yeah. There's something wrong with that?"

"No. Sounds good, actually."

Once they had settled in the living room, Norway put the disk in the DVD player and then came back to the couch to nuzzle himself to Denmark's left side. The man smelled like oregano and sea salt. The latter was a nostalgic scent. He had always smelled like that and it brought back memories from times when everything had been new to them.

When they hadn't understood what was between them.

When he had thought that the always smiling boy was just annoying. Nothing more, nothing less.

Norway pressed play.

The pizza was good but he knew something that tasted even better.

He leaned closer and pressed their lips together. Denmark had seen it coming and smirked against his lips until he responded by deepening their kiss. They had forgotten all about the movie at this point. Eventually, they pulled apart when they couldn't breathe anymore, panting.

"You're gorgeous when you're flushed," Denmark said and moved the Norwegian's hair away from his blue eyes.

He hummed in response.

Norway had always thought that actions spoke more than words.

But sometimes he granted himself the pleasure to use words.

He couldn't live without the man. Not after all these years. He loved him too much. He repeated the simple sentence in his mind all the time.

And sometimes he said it aloud. "I love you."


End file.
